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. (No Model.) E l2 Sheets--Sheet 1.

J. s. MORSE.

COMBINED ELECTRICAL PROTECTIVE AND TIME DETECTING SYSTEM.

No. 466,505. Patented Jan. 5', 1892.

(No Model.) l 2 sheetssheet 2.

y J. s. MORSE. lCOMBINED ELECTRICAL PROTECTIVE AND TIME DETEGTINGSYSTEM. No. 466,505. E Patented Jan. 5, 1892.

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l UNITED .STATI-3s'H *PATTI-:rvrv OFF-ICE."

JAMIN S. MORSE, OFl NEW YORK, N. Y.

COMBINEDELECTRICAL PROTECTIVE AND TIME-DETECTING SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 466,505, dated January5, 1892. Applicant ned June 5]'1891. serai No. 395,258. No model.)

.To all whom it may con/cern:

Be it known that I, JAMIN S. MORSE, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York, in the county and State of New York,

` have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a CombinedElectrical Protective and Time-Detecting System, of which the followingis a specification, reference being had to the drawings accompanying andforming a part of the same.

Nearly all large stores, warehouses, and manufacturing establishmentsare provided with some Vform of automatic lire-alarm or protectivesystems. These systems are trustworthy and valuable only in proportionto the comparative certainty of their operation, or rather theimpossibility of their derangement or failure from any cause to act atthe right time, so that it is customary to provide some means ofascertaining at short intervals of time the exact condition of thesystem or circuits in order that any defects or derangements may be atonce remedied. In some cases the local protective circuits form part ofa general system involving a central station at which all signals arereceived and indications of breaks, crosses, or other defectiveconditions of a main or local circuit recorded or from which at properintervals of time the requisite tests are made. In other cases eachlocal or protective circuit is a coml plete system in itself, and anattendant or Watchman is employed, whose duties are to watch theannunciator and alarm and test the condition of the circuit at frequentintervals; but this plan,while perhaps the surest, if properly carriedout, is only effective when the Watchman is faithful and attentive toduty. As a check on the watchman, to detect any negligence and in orderto show any failure in the performance of his duty, it is usual toemploy a watchmans time-detector, a wellwhich a record will be made ofthe time and results of the tests of the circuits. In devising means forcarrying out this main purpose I have invented certain otherimprovements, the nature of which will more fully hereinafter appear.v

Generally described, my improved system consists of one or morethermostatic circuits with the usual annunciator, alarm-bell, andbattery, a circuit-controlling mechanism, an instrumentof the nature ofan electrical watchmans time-detector, and auxiliary circuitconnectionsso combined vthatV the time of every operation of the switch,whichcloses for purposes of testing any of the thermost-atic circuits, isrecorded aswell as the character of thetest-that is to say, whether thecircuits are complete or interrupted.

The detailsof a system which illustrates and contains my invention Ihave shown in the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a vertical central section of the switch mechanism which Iemploy. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan view ofthe under side of thev base of the switch. Fig. 4 isa diagramillustrating the system and circuit connections of the same with whichthe switch is employed.

The specific mechanical construction of the switch mechanism which Iprefer to employ depends upon the number of circuits withL which it isemployed; but the principle of construction is in all cases the same. Asa whole, however, the construction of the switch may be very greatlymodified and varied' and many appliances capable of accomplishing thesame result substituted for it.

Onthe upper surface of the insulating-base A of the switch are securedconcentrically to a metal spindle B two contact-plates C C', a series ofplates D Df D, duc., and an outer series of similar contacts E E E, &c.The spindle B'eXtends down through the base A and an insulating-plateA', secured thereto, and carries at its end a circular'disk F, ofinsulating substance, to the edge of which bent metal plates F aresecured. These plates sweep over a circular series of contact-plates G GG, secured to the under side of the plate A. L. The insulating-disk F isheld between the disks to a, the latter being pro- IOO M is in contactwith the spindle B.

vided with a stem b, into which the lower end of the spindle B screws.Around the spindle B is a hollow spindle B', set in a bushing in thebase A and secured against vertical movement therein in any propermanner.

Each of the concentric spindles B B' is provided with a head, as B", andbetween them is a spiral spring a, which, pressing theinner spindle Bupward, maintains the contacts F' in good contact with plates G G G. Intheir normal position the points of the plates F' rest on and connecttogether the plates G G in pairs, and it is desirable, in order toprevent the disk F from being displaced, thatthe ends of plates F' restin notches c or that some similar stops be provided for the samepurpose. Aslot d is cutin the disk F, through which projects a screwd',set in the plate A', and thislimits the rotary movement of said disk.When the switch is to be used, the spindle B is pushed down to disengagethe points of the plate F' and then turned to shift the said points, sothat each plate F' rests on one of the plates G G', &c. In this positionthe points of plates F' or one point of each plate may engage with othernotches e. The outer spindle B may then be turned `without displacingthe disk F.

The spindle B' carries contact-arms K K LL and an arm M. (Shown in Fig.2.) These are of resilient metal and press upon the plates as follows: KK' on plates E E' E, L L on plates C C', and M on plates D D' D". Arm Kand L are in metallic contact with each other, but insulated from thespindle B' and also from K' L', which are also in lnetallic contact witheach other.

I refer now to Fig. 4 for a description of the application and mode ofoperation of the switch. The diagram represents a system of automatictire-alarm circuits, such as would be contained in a warehouse. Forconvenience of illustration but two circuits or branches are shown indetail. N is the battery for the system, N' the alarm-bell, and N" theannunciator to which the different branches of the circuit lead. These,together with the switch or testing mechanism and the recorder, aregenerally placed in the office or some other selected room to which allthe circuits run from the different rooms or portions of the building. Orepresents one of such circuits, O another, and ff' the thermostatswhich are included in branches or derivations of the same. Should a.fire occur in the vicinity of any of the thermost-ats, the latter closethe circuit and give the alarm and drop the shutter of the annunciatorthat shows the location of the fire. This system is well known andrequires no further explanation, except in so far as may be necessaryherein to an understanding of the improvements which comprise thepresent invention. Each circuit being a `counterpart of the others sofar as its connections with the Various devices is concerned, anexplanation of one will serve for all. Of

the circuit O the wire g runs from the battery N through a given roomand returns to the switch, where it is connected to the plate G', whichis any one of the plates above described as located beneath the base ofthe switch. The next adjacent plate G, which is normally connected to G'by one of the contacts F', is connected to the wire g near the batteryby a wire g'. In a similar manner the other wire h of circuit O, runningparallel to wire g, is connected to plate G", and a wire 7L' connectsthe companion plate G3 with the wire 7L near the battery. Two paths arethus provided through which a current may flow in case of the action ofany of the thermostats. This is desirable in case there should be abreak due to any cause in either or both of the wires g h.

In order to be assured that the circuit() is in proper condition to sendin an 'alarm it must be properly tested at frequent intervals, and inorder to preserve a record of these tests the following provision ismade: The wire g is connected to `anyone of the outer series ofcontact-plates on the switch, as E, and wire h is connected to thediametricallyopposite plate E'. Then to make and record a test thefollowing means are provided: Normally the switch stands with the arms KK' resting on any two diametrically-opposite plates, as E4 E4, which aredead-plates and not connected with any circuit. The first operation isto depress and turn the spindle B to disconnect the plates G G' and G"G", and thereby interrupt 'the circuit through wires g' 7i', so that thetest may he made only through that part of the circuit O that containsthe thermostats. Then the arms K K' are shifted onto the plates E E'.The circuit is thus completed from `wire g and plate E `to strip K, andthence through strip or arm L, plate C, conductors t' t', connecting theplate C to plate C', and then from plate C' through arms L' K and plateE' to wire h. This closes the circuit O, rings the alarm N', and dropsthe annunciator-shutter of circuit O, showing ataglance that thiscircuit is in proper working order. The conductors t' t', forming abridge between plates C C', include the coils of a relay-instrument l),that controls the circuits of a time-recording instrument R.

The details of this instrument heilig entirely a matter of choice, itsuffices in explanation to say that it may be, for example, any of thewell-known instruments known in the art as watchmens time detectors orreeorders, which contain two or more electromagnets, as Z Z', inindependent circuits, and which make on different portions of a disk orstrip moved by clock-work a mark or record whenever energized by theclosing of their respective circuits. Usually Athe circuits,as

m m', of the magnets Z Z' run to different apartments or portions of thebuilding,where push-buttons or circuit-closers fn. are provided by whichthe watchman on his rounds sends ICO IIO

ytea-505 -3 in'a signal to the recorder," whichwill show' how many timesand when' he visited the different circuit-closers.

Q is the batteryfor operating tlierecordermagnets.Y One .pole of thisbattery is connected by wire o with the front contact o of the relay P.The circuit-controlling armar.

ture o of the relay is connected by wire p with the spindle B of theswitch, and consequently with the arm M, that sweeps over the plates DD', &c. The arm M, being at right angles to arms K K', rests on a plateD" when' the said arms K K are on the dead-plates E4.'

This plate D is also a dead-plate and not connected with any circuit. Itthe switch be turned so that arms K K rest on plates E E',

the arm M rests on a plate D, which by a wire fr is connected to thebattery Q and includes one of the recorder-magnets, as Z, which makesthe appropriate mark or record for the circuit O, which is vconnected toplates E E. Hence, if circuit O be in working order the relay Pwillclose abreak in the circuit of all ot the recorder-magnets, and the armM closes a break in that particular circuit which corresponds to circuitO. The marks or records made bythe magnet Zwill therefore indicate thatthe circuit O was tested at times corresponding to their positions onthe recordsheet and that said circuit at such times was in workingorder. The absence of recordrnarks would show either that no test wasmade or that a test having been made the circuit O was out of repair.

It is easy to provide a certain number of watchmans circuits, as m m',in addition to the thermostat-circuits, when, as a matter of precaution,the watchman is required to visit different points in the building inaddition to testing the tire-alarm circuits.Y It will now be understoodfrom the above how any other of a number of circuits may be tested andthe tests recorded.

In practice each circuit may be tested once by turning the switchthrough a complete or partial revolution, or the same circuits may beconnected to more than one pair of plates, as E E', so that it will betested twice or more times for one operation or movement of the switch.The applicability of this system to many different purposes will bereadilyunderstood by those skilled in the art.

It is apparent that one of the chief merits of the particularimprovement described is in its adaptability to existing systems, to anyof which it may be applied by merely making the necessary electricalconnections.

1. The combination, with a system of thermostat-circuits centering at agiven point, a time-recording mechanism, and independentrecording-circuits corresponding to the thermostat-circuits, of a switchor` bridge for simultaneously closing breaks in corresponding thermostatand recording circuits, an electromagnet included in the circuit of thebridge,

or more ,fire-alarm circuits containing ther-4 mosta'ts, acircuit-controlling mechanism for tion upon currents in thethermostat-circuits, and a switch for simultaneously closing breaks incorresponding thermostat and recording circuits, as set forth.

3. The combination, with a tire-alarm and annunciator and a system ofprotective circuits containing thermostats and extending from theannunciator to the rooms of the building to be protected, of atime-recording instrument of the kind described, provided withrecording-circuits corresponding'to the thermostat-circuits, acircuit-controller'conimon to all said record in g-circuits anddependent for operation upon current in that one of thethermostat-circuits in which it may be included, and a test-switchprovided with terminal-plates to which the conductors of the thermostatand recording circuits are connected, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with a system of thermostat-circuits and acorresponding system of recording-circuits,includingthe magnets of aWatchmans time-detector, and a circuit-con troller common to all therecording-circuits, of a test-switch to which all of said circuits areconnected, and consisting, essentially, of series of contact-plates andcontacts adapted in their movements to pass in contact with each seriesof plates, respectively, the electrical connections between the circuitsand the plates being made in such manner or order that a m'ovement ofthe contacts into any given position simultaneously closes breaks in thethermostat-circuit and its corresponding recording circuit .connectedwith the plates upon which said contacts rest and includes thecircuit-controllin g device of the recording-circuits in saidthermostat-circuit.

5. The combination, with'a system ot thermostat-circuits and a system ofcorresponding recording -circuits from a Watchmans time-,detector and acircuit-controller coinmon to all of the said recording-circuits, ot' atest-switch intermediate to the two systems of circuits, and consistingof a circular series of plates to which .the terminals of the ther--mostat-circuits are connected, a concentric series of plates to whichone conductor of each recording-circuit is connected, two concentricplates permanently connected through the circuit-controller of therecording-circuits, a central spindle to which the opposite conductorsof all the recording-circuits are connected, and contact-arms carriedthereby and adapted to simultaneously close through, the saidcircuit-controller any given thermostat-circuit and its correspondingrecording-circuit, as set forth. f

6. The combination, with the thermostat the recording-circuits dependentfor opera- IIO and corresponding recording circuits, of the switch with`which said circuitsfare connected, consisting of an insulating-base,the concentric spi-ndlesturning therein, one of said spindles beingmovable vertically `in the otherf contact-plates secured .to the upperand lower faces of thebase, andcontacts engaging theref with andcarriedb'y said spindles, as-set forth.

7. The'switch mechanismiherein described, i consisting in thecombi-nation, with the finsulating plate or base, the circular `seriesof. contacts :under the base,'and`the ,concentricn seriesiof contacts onfthe 4upper face of the sameVof fa rotary spindle `carrying con'tact``aums `engaging with the series of `plates on the l npper'faceof thebase, a spindle concentric; with the rstiand :movable verticallytherein,t carrying contactsengagingiwith theseriesof contacts under the base,and a springiacting yon the central spindle, whereby the same isnormally raised, as set forth.

8. `The combination, with a series of thermostats-and a correspondingsystem of recording-circuits, of `a switch rhaving concentricrspindlescarrying contact-arms and contactplates to which `said circuitsare connected,

'oneiof said spindles and the :arms carried thereby being adapted kwhenVshifted 1to cnt out portions `of the thermostat-circuits, the

other to-close sirnultaneouslgy onelof 'the ther-

